Ron Paul would permit abortion in some cases of ‘honest rape’

Ron Paul, a doctor who has delivered more than 4,000 babies, is pro-life, but sees the issue as more complex in the case of rape. (Richard Shiro/ Associated Press)

Even though Ron Paul’s views are different from the other Republican candidates in almost every aspect, there’s one area where he has agreed with his rivals: Abortion.

But in an interview with Piers Morgan, the Texas doctor-politician proved that even on abortion, his views are more complicated than your average politician.

On Friday’s “Piers Morgan Tonight,” Morgan presented Paul with a hypothetical situation: If one of his daughters or granddaughters were raped, would he tell her that she must have the child?

The Texas Republican replied, “No. If it’s an honest rape, that individual should go immediately to the emergency room,” CNN reported.

Paul went on to explain the complexity of the situation. If someone arrives in an emergency room, he said, and there is no medical or legal evidence of a pregnancy, it’s in a sort of limbo. When someone has been raped and there may or may not be a life, medical procedures like administering a shot of estrogen would be okay.

“If you talk about somebody coming in and they say, well, I was raped and I’m seven months pregnant and I don’t want to have anything to do with it, it’s a little bit different story,” he added

Paul clarified that he believes life begins at conception. However, it wasn’t clear what Paul meant by “honest rape” (as opposed to a dishonest one).

Paul’s stance on abortion has been influenced by the years he spent as a doctor, delivering many babies. As a student, he observed a delivery, where a two and a half pound baby was discarded into a bucket. Paul said the “lack of respect for life” had a profound affect on him.

Morgan pointed out what he thought is an apparent contradiction in Paul’s stance: He promotes the people’s right to make their own choices in almost every area except this one.

Paul said he didn’t see the inconsistency, stating that the unborn child has just as much of a right as any other person, including the mother: “To me, the one minute before birth and one minute after birth isn’t a whole lot different.”